Felicita Sala is an acclaimed illustrator, author and picture book maker, renowned for her brilliant children’s books , some authored by her as well, and her whimsical, rich visual world that breathes life into the pages of children’s stories and beyond. Her work has earned her numerous accolades, including the Premio Andersen Award 2020, the Australian Children’s Book Council Award, the White Ravens Award as well as the Society of Illustrators’ Original Art Exhibition 2023 -Gold Medal for „As Night Falls: Creatures That Go Wild After Dark”, written by Donna Jo Napoli .With a distinctive style that blends imagination, curiosity and warmth, there is no question that Felicita inspires and delights both young and old through her captivating art.
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Felicita in Seville, Spain, at her workshop at Galeria Roja. This event was a true celebration of artistic expression & creative play and was led with great care and dedication. The days spent there were wonderful, allowing me & the other participants to discover more about her story and enabling us to explore new techniques in a setting overflowing with creativity. I know I’m not alone in my admiration for Felicita and her work and I believe many of you will enjoy our lovely conversation below.
1.Who is Felicita & what makes her heart sing?
I am an illustrator and author of picture books. Good food makes my heart sing, and also big natural spaces away from the chaos of the city where I live.
Felicita by Viola Damiani
2.When you’re not illustrating or writing, how do you like to spend your time? Do you have any hobbies or activities outside of illustration that you enjoy and that you find influence your work?
I like to read and watch movies, I like to read to my daughter too, and to travel with my family. Reading is something that somehow takes my brain to a space that is free from anxiety, and that is conductive to producing good work, taking a break and not always thinking about it.
Felicita 2022 by Sophie Davidson
3.This year your newest authored and illustrated book, „If you run out of words” hit the shelves! Congratulations! We love its concept & stunning illustrations, as well as the fact that it brings dads, and not moms, forward, unlike many others books.
What is the story of how it came about & what challenges did the process present you with?
The story was born from a question that my daughter asked me one day while I was on the phone during lockdown. She was afraid I would have no words left for her after a long phone call. My agent who was on the other end of the call said to me, „You have to write a book about that!” and somehow, a few years later, the book was made. I decided to make the book about a father and daughter, it was visually funnier to have this big dad bustling through the universe to get back to her.
„If you run out of words”
4.What do you wish you had known when you first began your career?
That things happen slowly, that good things take time. and that it’s ok to make things that are not perfect, or that you don’t like. It’s part of the learning process.
„Green on Green” sample
5.Can you share a moment of personal or professional triumph that you are particularly proud of?
I think it was when I made my first book, „Lunch at 10 pomegranate street”. I thought I could never write my own book, but I did, and the best thing about this book is the response I receive from it from children all over the world. To this day it is the book that gets the most feedback. Children love to cook with it or simply look at it, for some reason it brings them comfort. The best triumph for me is when kids enjoy the work and they go back to it.
„Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street”
6.How important is experimentation in your work, and can you share an example of a time when experimenting led to a breakthrough?
It’s very important, and I wish I dedicated more time to experimentation. There is not one moment of breakthrough for me, it’s a slower process of seeing how materials move on the paper and an intuition of the possibilities for those new textures and shapes in a story.
Felicita’s sketchbook
7.Your use of negative space & textures is just brilliant! Can you tell us more about how you incorporate them into your work and why they’re important to your style?
I don’t really know how to answer that question. It’s a very intuitive process, and it’s related to a sense of balance on the page. Negative space is used to balance out its opposite, textures contrast with a more flat surface. Creating these contrasts leads to a satisfying image.
„A Year in Fleurville „- cover
8. What steps do you take to ensure authenticity and sensitivity in your illustrations and stories?
I don’t. I don’t believe I am a step taker generally speaking. I just make things in response to an inner necessity, and hope that they go well, that people will respond to them.
„If you run out of words” book jacket
9. What are some of the most unusual or unexpected sources of inspiration for your illustrations?
The way children behave and move and talk. It’s not very unusual as a source of inspiration, but children themselves are the most unusual and unexpected things!
„Dark on Light” cover
10. Do you have a favorite character or piece you’ve created? Can you tell us why?
I really like the cockroach in the series I made with Maggie Hutchings for Affirm press. The first book is called „Your Birthday was the best” and it’s just so funny. I really enjoyed making those books. I didn’t think I could enjoy illustrating a cockroach, but somehow he becomes the friend you didn’t know you needed.
„Your birthday was the best”
11.How do you handle creative blocks or periods of low inspiration?
I don’t handle them! I have little breakdowns and then am forced to take a break or push through, sometimes the work has just got to get done even if you don’t feel like it.
„Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street” cover
12.What is one piece of advice you’ve heard yourself give, but haven’t been able to follow (just yet)?
Write every day, draw every day. even something small. I am too lazy.
„As Night Falls: Creatures that go wild after dark”
13.If you were the main character in a narrative, what would be the plot that would determine the action?
I have no idea, but I hope it would be full of strange things, magical events, curious little beings, maybe a meeting with a giant and time travel.
„When you find the right rock” cover
12.There are many myths that spring to mind when talking to and about artists. From your point of view, what is the myth worth debunking and why?
Well I don’t know about artists but the myth about picture book makers is that they are not making ‘proper’ books just because they are for children. I think this couldn’t be further from the truth, and that writing for children has much higher standards, and is therefore more difficult in a way. Not to mention illustrating.
13. Are there any upcoming projects or new directions you’re excited about and can share with us?
I’m working on a story about a worm. And there’s a book coming out next year about a kid who loses everything, a kid with his head in the clouds.
„My dog and I” cover
*All illustrations & visuals (including photographs) are the property of Felicita Sala, unless otherwise specified.
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